Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India, also considered to be the architect of modern India, has been in news recently with the announcement by the finance minister that Rs. 200 crore in the budget has been set aside to erect a large statue of this great man in Gujarat. This is our Prime Minister Narendar Modi’s dream project, his tribute to Sardar Patel. This statue, “The Statue of Unity” will be on the same lines as that of the “Statue of Liberty” that will make our country stand tall as one nation, one culture, and one people, which was the dream of Sardar Patel for India.

Contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in India

Perhaps the biggest contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came around the time of partition, the regrettable communal violence, deep-seated mistrust, and bloody period of ideological conflict. 15th August 1947, India had become independent from the British rule empire. For independence, the struggle had lasted two centuries, various women and men laid down their lives to ensure that we could breathe and live in an independent nation. The struggle for independence to retouch grotesque society that was prevalent during those times ran hand in hand with the struggle for freedom.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel took over as the Home Minister of nascent nation at a very important juncture in history and devoted himself wholeheartedly to make sure that the nation which was already partitioned remained united and intact.

India was categorized into hundreds of various different kingdoms, separated by conflicting ideas and interests before independence.

The role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in free India

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India. Due to request of Gandhi ji, Sardar stepped down so that Jawaharlal Nehru could become the PM of India. Sardar refused to become the PM of India only for Mahatma Gandhi. Recently, Narendra Modi stated that if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had become the 1st PM of India, then the condition of India would have been great and different. Narendra Modi said this while addressing the opening ceremony of Smruti Smarak of Shri Sardar. He also said that Sardar was a secular and liberal leader respected for his effective and different ideology.

Now the question that comes to our mind is why and how? What was the vision of Sardar Patel for modern India?

Sardar Patel was greatly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. He joined India’s freedom struggle. He started the peasant movement in various parts of Gujarat and took up the cause of the farmers against heavy taxes levied on them by the British. He became the president of India National Congress in 1931. He took active participation in Salt Satyagraha, Civil Disobedience Movement, and Quit India Movement, and was considered one of the most influential leaders during the Freedom Movement.

Our salute to the Iron Man of India

There was a need to spread the message of Sardar Patel’s life. There was a need for every Indian to value his contribution and feel proud of being born on the same land of India where he dedicated every moment of his life for the welfare of the people. There was a need to honour him for giving us a united modern India. Thus, as a sincere attempt of paying an eternal tribute, Shri Narendra Modi, while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, saw the dream of creating the ‘Statue of Unity’ as a symbol of the life, principles, aspirations and accomplishments of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Statue of Unity will stand tall, as the tallest statue in the world, in the memory of this great man.

Patel's last days

In 1950, the health of Sardar began deteriorating due to blood in cough. Therefore, Maniben began restricting his meetings and work. His health condition even more worsened and he was confined to bed after 2 November. After a massive heart attack, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel died on December 15, 1950 at Birla House in Bombay. Unfortunately, the great soul of India left this world.

No wonder, Narendra Modi had rightly stated many times that the Indian economy would have been different if Patel was the first prime minister. He was indeed the architect of modern India. Unfortunately, he lived only for three years after independence. Had he been alive, this man of iron will, with his vision for modern India could have placed India amongst the most developed nations of the world. We salute this great India.